Time to Tune In

To kick off the 4th annual Gold’s Gym March Music Madness—when our members’ favorite workout songs go head-to-head in a bracket-style race to the top—we’ve compiled two workout playlists and four dance moves to get you moving.

DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!
When you need to take a break from the standard gym routine, or just want to boogie down in your living room, try these four dance moves from celebrity trainer Ramona Braganza. “As someone who loves to dance—and as a former NFL cheerleader—I have pulled together some key moves that will help you sculpt your body and get your groove on.”

Belly Dance

Braganza explains: To get toned abs, hips and thighs, do the vertical figure eight, a classic belly-dancing move.

Begin with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and arms extended to the sides. Draw the number 8 with your hips—sway your hips forward to the right, draw a half circle, then move to the left.

Repeat for 2 counts of 8.

The Twist

Braganza explains: Chubby Checker had it right with the Twist! Another great move for sculpting abs, thighs and buns!

Begin with feet shoulder-width apart and arms extended away from the
body. Stand on the balls of your feet and rotate hips, torso and legs as a single unit while keeping arms stationary. Rotate to right and then left as you lower your body toward the floor by bending your knees while keeping your back straight. Once the back of your quads are touching your calves, start to stand back up. “For a great burn, stay down at the lowest point for a count of eight,” Braganza suggests. “Keeping the twist low will work your glutes and your legs more.”

Do one count of 8 standing, then lower to the ground twisting for one count of 8.

The Pinwheel

To get down toward the floor, try your own freestyle twist or simply lower yourself down to a full squat, with the back of your upper legs touching your lower legs. Place both hands on the floor in front of you and extend your left leg straight to the side. Move your left leg in a forward circle. Lift up your left arm, right arm, and right foot to bring your leg around to the starting position.

Do 8 sets on each side.

Here are the two playlists:

Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute trainer Ramona Braganza’s playlist features 10 heart-pumping anthems. “I love a great upbeat song when doing any sort of cardio training, then I like to take it to old-school hip-hop for strength,” she says.Why she chose her No.1 song: “Timber” gets your heart moving. I like it even better because it has Ke$ha on the track—I toured with her as her trainer this summer in Europe.

1. “Timber” —Pitbull featuring Ke$ha

2. “Hey Brother” —Avicii

3. “The Monster” —Eminem featuring Rihanna

4. “Your Love Is My Drug” —Ke$ha

5. “Oliver Twist” —D’Banj

6. “Hold On, We’re Going Home” —Drake

7. “Tu y Yo” —Lylloo and Matt Houston

8. “Cashin’ Out” —Ca$h Out

9. “Insane in the Brain” —Cypress Hill

10. “Always on My Mind” —Mavado

Find her list on our Gold’s Spotify channel here.

Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute trainer Robert Reames is a true rocker at heart, and his Gold’s Gym playlist shows it. “I love the driving rock beats that have a good smooth groove,” he says. “Also, the emotion of the vocals and the message of the song are very important to me.”Why he chose his No.1 song: Not only is “Right Now” amazing musically, but it provides a great motivating message. I actually use this as the theme song to my RR Live! radio/video podcast as well.